SXSW: Nü Sensae

Wednesday, 1 a.m. @ Holy Mountain

Nü Sensae accomplished more in 15 minutes last night than some bands of similar raging noise-punk nature will manage all week of this fest. Tearing through "Swim" and other tracks from last year's excellent Sundowning (released by Suicide Squeeze, who co-presented the showcase), their chemistry exploded. On record, Nü Sensae's dynamic force builds upon its members equally-- Andrea Lukic's startlingly visceral howls, guitarist Brody McKnight's wall of noise. But live drummer Daniel Pitout is heavy and fierce as hell (which makes his angelic all-white bleach-blonde ensemble sort of great), raising his arms above his head to strike maximum damage with mostly every hit of the kit.